Studies into effect of intensive cultivation on the properties of the tillage test track soil

S.A Ferguson* and R.W Fitzpatrick**

*AMRDC, School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, AUSTRALIA

** CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide Laboratory, Waite Rd. Urrbrae, South Australia, AUSTRALIA

The Tillage Test Track at the University of South Australia is an outdoor continuous soil bin. It is used as a research tool for the determination of various tillage point performance parameters, from studies into wear, draft and penetration forces, to measurement of soil throw and furrow profiles. Since it was constructed in 1986, the soil in the Tillage Test Track has been cultivated an estimated 20,000 times, making it, arguably, the most intensively cultivated soil in the world.

This paper describes typical results from recent wear studies in the tillage test track and using typical wear rates, estimates of the amount of iron that has been added to the soil in the track due to wear have been made. Metallurgical analysis of tools worn in the Tillage Test Track is also discussed. This information is related to the measurement of physical and chemical properties of soil samples taken from the track of the original soil (1986) and subsequently after approximately 5000 (1986), 8000 (1987), 10,000 (1988) and 20,000 (2000) cultivations and laboratory studies.